The subject matter herein relates generally to cable assemblies that include cable harnesses for interconnecting communication systems or devices.
Communication systems, such as routers, servers, switches, redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (RAIDs), uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), host bus adapters (HBAs), supercomputers, and the like, may be large complex systems that have a number of components interconnected to one another through different types of cable assemblies. For example, cable backplane (or cable midplane) systems include several daughter card assemblies that are interconnected to one another through cable assemblies. The daughter card assemblies of such systems may also be interconnected with remote components or devices through different types of cable assemblies. An example of such cable assemblies includes pluggable input/output (I/O) cable assemblies.
Cable assemblies may include a cable harness (or multicore cable), one or more electrical connectors, and a housing assembly that holds the electrical connector(s) and is coupled to the cable harness. The electrical connector may be positioned within an interior cavity of the housing assembly and have a front end that is presented to an exterior of the housing assembly. The cable harness has multiple individual cables that are received through a loading passage of the housing assembly. When the cable assembly is fully constructed, an interior cavity exists within the housing assembly. The individual cables extend through the interior cavity and couple to corresponding contacts of the electrical connector that may be located, for example, at a back end of the electrical connector.
The housing assembly typically includes multiple housing shells. Each housing shell may interface with one or more other housing shells or an electrical connector along one or more seams. It is known that the seam(s) of the housing assembly are associated with electromagnetic interference (EMI) leakage in which EMI generated from within the interior cavity may escape to an exterior. Conductive gaskets may be positioned along the seams to control the EMI leakage. The conductive gaskets may include spring contacts or fingers or, alternatively, a conductive elastomer. These conductive gaskets, however, may be difficult to position along seams that have complex geometries.
Accordingly, a need remains for a cable assembly having effective EMI control along a seam with a complex geometry.